What are some of your top questions around building websites?
I get questions all the time and common topics that arise are:
- design (what’s the best design to use?)
- development (who should I get to build it, and how long does it take?)
- structure & layout (what’s the best way to architect my site for users and search engines?)
- branding (how much time should I spend on branding initiatives, how important is it?)
- graphics (where can I get them, should I use images over Flash/moving animation, videos, etc?)
- cost (is it expensive?)
These are a starting points for many, but most don’t know where to start, or what to ask.
That’s ok. You are learning.
95% will start with $$$ questions first
Truth be told, unless you are a professional in this area, it’s expected. A website may feel like a necessary evil, and it’s an ‘after-thought’. Business cards, logos, stationary, equipment, brochures and yellow pages ads are higher on the list. And, if you are VERY new – and haven’t thought through your business yet – you do not have the metrics to answer questions of cost vs. return, etc.
You can improve
If you want to improve your website and maximize performance of your effort (time and expense) – consider using or upgrading to WordPress. I am not talking about WordPress.com, but a self-hosted (where you run/operate your own site) WordPress installation (WordPress.org). Your hosting company will know what this is.
Once you get set up, select a “theme” (website look/feel) for your new site (actually, a blog), add your logo. Next, you are faced with how to use it (technical), how to write (operational/creative) and how to optimize it (SEO, Traffic, etc). We’ll cover the last one here.
What Professionals Do
I’m assuming that you already have your WordPress instance set up, that you are already writing a post a week or more. What you need now is a cheat-sheet for optimization and tuning.
The 52 WordPress Plugins That Professional Marketers Use is available here (FREE DOWNLOAD).
It’s yours – FREE – and it will totally help you.
P.S.
Some of this is purposely simplified. A real business and marketing plan is needed. A website alone will not make you rich.